Lead Conversion Strategy

In order to convert the leads you get, you’ll need a systematic process to keep yourself in front of them. You’ll need a well thought out, step by step action plan that will reliably lead your prospects down the path to becoming clients. And you’ll need to know what’s working and what’s not working.

When the lead comes in to your system the first message back to them should be a heart felt, “Thank You.” Being real from the first point of contact is important for establishing trust from the beginning of the relationship. The first follow-up should also be within minutes, so email is obviously the weapon of choice here. Most modern contact management systems have a built in marketing system that you can use for automatic responses, but you’ll need more than that. What you’re really looking for is a way to set up messages to go out maybe 3, 7, 10, 14 and 24 days after your initial contact. The frequency of the messages is part of the process, and should also have a method for testing.

There should also be a way to automate task management so you can send tasks to your team for a phone call or in person follow up. The truth is, your prospect is shopping, which means they’ve also contacted your competitor, so the first person to have a conversation with them will usually get the business. Sending an automatic task to your sales team for immediate call back can mean the difference between winning and losing the sale.

If the prospect doesn’t respond to any of the initial calls or emails, the next set of messages should drive them to either call you or visit a landing page to re-ignite that interest. The landing page should reinforce the original message and be personalized, if possible. You already have their information so create a personalized landing page, or what’s known as a “PURL” or personalized URL. Include a short form on the page, that’s easy to fill out, so they can “raise their hand” again if the interest is still there.

Once your down to the 4th or 5th message, without any response, it’s time to stop the lead conversion campaign and add them to a lead warming campaign. One message every 4-6 months is plenty to keep your business in front of them. Don’t be too intrusive or they’ll opt off your list. Again, asking them to call or visit a landing page is the best method to get them to raise their hand. Sometimes using a special offer to get them to respond can work, but don’t get into the habit of giving away your business just to get a client.

Your product is valuable, your time is valuable, you and your team are valuable. Act like it and your prospects will respect you for not giving away what’s most important to you. Convey a message of trust and leadership and your prospects will thank you for it. Don’t try so hard to sell. Work at having a meaningful conversation with your community and your prospects and they’ll love you for it.